Three Cups Hotel Redevelopment

A conservation, renovation and redevelopment scheme on the historic Three Cups hotel site in Dorset, UK

Rendel provided geotechnical expertise to JC & RH Palmer Ltd, a private developer, on this £5 million redevelopment scheme. The project, which started in 2012, involved the extension of the existing Grade II Listed building to create residential and holiday accommodation.

The Three Cups hotel was renowned for its many famous guests, which have included Lord Alfred Tennyson and J.R.R. Tolkien. The hotel also featured in the 1981 film: The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

The new development included a landmark new restaurant and up to twelve rooms for holiday rental at the back of the site. There was also a ground floor shop space at the front of the old Three Cups building and a community space at the rear of the building. Some residential units were available for sale and an underground car park was planned.

Rendel provided geotechnical design services for the basement construction, which was situated in complex, coastal geological conditions. Other Rendel services included:

• Ground model interpretation
• Preliminary design
• Preliminary costing
• Advice on construction methods for construction in a restricted working area
• Technical advice during consents period

The construction phase took 15 months and was planned to cause minimum disruption to the town.